WARNING: This article contains Shazam! Fury of the Gods SPOILERS
With Wonder Woman 3 was scrapped amid changes at DC. James Gunn and Peter Safran have taken over DC Studios, and the future of Wonder Woman remains a giant question mark.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods makes note of Billy Batson's (Asher Angel and Zachary Levi) crush on Wonder Woman, and it culminates in an appearance from the hero herself. Summoned by a letter Billy sent earlier, Wonder Woman appears in the godly realm to revive the magic found within the Staff of the Gods - as the world's only remaining god, she's the only one who can do it. Though she doesn't help out during the final battle, Wonder Woman does provide Shazam! Fury of the Gods with its final heroic moment.
Wonder Woman's First Shazam 2 Scene Repeats The First Movie's Superman Joke
Before her proper cameo during Shazam! Fury of the Gods' ending, Wonder Woman makes a partial appearance earlier on in the film. Billy has a dream where he's on a date with Gadot's character in Paris and tries to turn down a partnership with her. Disgruntled, the dream Wonder Woman stands to leave. However, her face is never shown, with the camera only offering glimpses of her body and the back of her head. Even when she turns around, her face is replaced with that of Djimon Hounsou's Wizard.
This is Shazam! Fury of the Gods' riff on its predecessor's Superman joke. The 2019 Shazam! concluded with what was ostensibly Henry Cavill's Superman arriving to have lunch with Billy and Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) at their school. Much to the frustration of audiences, though, Cavill's face was never shown. By doing the same trick with Wonder Woman, director David F. Sandberg appears to set Shazam! Fury of the Gods up for its own cameo fakeout. Considering how the Superman moment was a huge talking point after the previous movie, it isn't surprising that Sandberg would find a way to lightly mock the controversial moment.
Wonder Woman Resurrects Shazam (& Dumps Him)
Shazam! Fury of the Gods really lays the groundwork for a Wonder Woman appearance. Not only are Billy and his siblings fighting a pair of Wonder Woman's comic villains, Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu), but Billy also mentions reaching out to the hero when he discovers a way to gods. It seems like Wonder Woman would be the perfect ally for the movie's big battle. However, despite that compelling setup, her function in the story is much smaller.
Billy does die in his climactic showdown with Kalypso, and he is unable to be revived due to the staff being drained of its power. His family even goes so far as to bury him, which makes his eventual resurrection a bit messier. Wonder Woman brings Billy back by plunging the staff into the ground and restoring its powers. After ensuring he's alive and well, she rejects his offer of a date (after he turns 18, naturally) and walks off toward her next adventure.
Since Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a movie about Shazam himself, it does make sense that Wonder Woman doesn't swoop in to help save the day. However, this does leave her with a rather odd role. Clearly, she was aware of what happened in Philadelphia during Kalypso's attempted takeover, but rather than get involved there, she only comes in at the end to serve as, essentially, Fury of the Gods' deus ex machina. It's certainly a fun cameo for a beloved hero (and one that makes up for a previous mistake), but it does leave some bigger questions behind.
Is Shazam 2 Gal Gadot's Last DC Movie?
One of those questions is whether Gadot will appear in any future DC movies. With Wonder Woman 3 no longer in active development and Gunn looking to reinvent the DC Universe, it's fair to question whether Gadot has truly reached the end of her run as Wonder Woman. Gunn did announce the development of a Wonder Woman-esque show, Paradise Lost, when he unveiled the DCU's first projects, but it is being billed as a prequel, meaning the lasso-wielding hero likely won't be involved.
Gunn has shut down rumors claiming Gadot has been let go from DC and confirmed he and Safran met with the actor. In fact, Gunn went so far as to confirm Wonder Woman will factor into the DC Universe, though it remains to be seen if Gadot will play her. There were reports that DC is still interested in making another Wonder Woman movie with Gadot, but it isn't clear where that might fit within the DCU slate, which so far contains 10 movies and television shows. Further muddying the situation are reports that a Gadot cameo was cut from the movie The Flash.
Considering the nature of the cameo, Shazam! Fury of the Gods will hopefully not be Gadot's final DC appearance. Her 2017 solo movie brought the former DCEU to critical and financial heights it hadn't yet seen, and it was a landmark moment for female representation in the superhero sphere. Wonder Woman deserves a far better sendoff, and Gunn's refusal to confirm Gadot's exit from the franchise sends the message there could be more for her ahead. For now, though, Gadot has no confirmed DC Universe appearances coming up after her Shazam! Fury of the Gods scene.
